Sincerely, Juliet
by hippogriff-tamer
Summary: In Italy, after answering one letter, Sophie happens upon another heartbreaking letter from a woman named Meredith...how does she answer it and what happens next?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N **_Happy Birthday H6p8gv...I hope that you and the other readers enjoy this story...It's a drabble length multiple chapter story. I am not sure yet as to the number of chapters but I'll let you know when it gets close to the end... Also I'd like to thank Loki's Only Love for betaing this story for me..._

**Disclaimer: **_I don't own any of the recognized places or characters..._

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Sincerely, Juliet...

That's how I signed the letter in front of me instead of "Sophie" like I usually would when writing a letter. But I was in the Office of the Juliet Secretaries not in my own home. The letter I answered was from a woman, Kim, who was in love with someone who didn't notice her. She worked with the guy and in her letter mentioned that it wasn't against policy to date a coworker. She just never had a crush like this before and she didn't want to be rejected by the man she cared for. My advice to her was to talk to him. He might have the same feelings as her and been too scared to talk to her or if he really was blind to her he could start to like her once they got to know one another. My best friend's mother had told her that same thing when we were teenagers when she was too afraid to talk to a guy she liked. The advice had paid off and my friend went out on a few dates with him. That relationship didn't work but my friend never forgot what her mother told her and now she is happily married. I really hoped that the advice that was given to my friend could also work for Kim. Placing the letter in the basket to be mailed, I heard the door open.

"I knew that you'd still be here," a familiar masculine voice said bringing a smile to my face. I looked up to see my husband of seven months, Charlie, standing in the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest, an amused expression on his face.

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**E/N **Next_ chapter will be up shortly..._


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N **_I would like to thank Loki's Only Love for looking over this chapter..._

**Disclaimer: **_I own none of the recognizable places or characters..._

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2.

"I'm almost done. I just want to read this last letter," I stated indicating a pinkish envelope in front of me.

Charlie walked closer to where I was sitting at the table. "It's getting late and you are the only one left here in the office. I didn't know that when I took my lovely new wife away for a trip to Italy that I'd hardly see her."

I noticed that the light in the room had darkened as i gazed lovingly up at him and placed my hand on his chest. "I've only helped Isabella today and yesterday. You've had me the rest of the time we've been here." I smiled to show that I wasn't upset by what he said. He placed his hand on mine and gave it a light squeeze. "Okay."

"Okay?" I queried. I was expecting more of an argument from my new husband since he was just saying that he hardly saw me.

He nodded. "I know you love," he answered simply.

Before I could say anything he leaned down and brushed his lips over mine. I tugged his shirt making him come closer so that I could take his lips for a deeper kiss. We both moaned happily at the contact.

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**E/N **Chapter_ 3 will be out next week..._


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N **_Here's the third chapter in this story...I hope that you enjoy..._

_I again want to thank Loki's Only Love for betaing this..._

**Disclaimer: **_I own none of the recognizable places or characters..._

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3.

We both leaned back at the same time with goofy grins on our faces. We were still newlyweds after all and according to Claire the first year of marriage was supposed to be filled with kisses and goofy grins. It's inevitable she would say.

"See you later?" Charlie asked bringing me back to the present.

"Of course."

He ran his fingers down my arm as he moved to leave making my skin tingle with his touch and left.

"No fair. He touches me like that and leaves," I whispered in exasperation to the empty room.

As there was no answer, I turned back to the task at hand, picking up the letter that lay before me. On the back of the envelope I saw the name 'Meredith Black' and an address in London. Making sure not to destroy the address, I opened the envelope and took out the letter.

_Dear Juliet, _

_I left him. He asked me to marry him and I left! I know that it was a foolish thing to do considering I love him but the truth was I was scared. Scared of not being good enough, scared of losing his love, just scared. So I told him that I didn't love him anymore and that I didn't think we would work. He got angry of course and tried to get me to reconsider but I didn't. That was until a few days after. Then I was too scared to go back and apologize. Call it pride if you will Juliet. Now it's been three years and I still love him. I'm scared now that if I go back I would find that he moved on with someone else or worse that he hates me. Please, Juliet, I need your advice. What should I do? _

_Meredith _

Poor Meredith! To walk away from the man you loved must have been hard! I know considering my past it would be weird to hear me say this let alone think it but not every woman who walked away was like my own mother. At least Meredith seemed to really regret leaving and wanted to do something to remedy what she had done. My mother walked away from me and my father and hadn't looked back since. Thoughts of my mother threatened to pull me into a depressed state so I put the letter down, rolled my head side to side and let out a deep breath to allow myself time to collect my thoughts in a more positive direction like replying to Meredith's letter. Taking a piece of paper and pen, I began with "Dear..."

_Dear Meredith,_

_Relationships are scary. When we enter into a relationship we open ourselves up to another person for scrutiny and hope that they will do the same without throwing our hearts right back at us .Being scared can be a good thing in that it can keep us from dangerous, even life threatening feats but it can also prevent us from experiencing something wonderful. I think that you let your fears of what could happen overrule all the good that the two of you shared and that's why you ran. If you truly regret leaving him then maybe he may regret letting you leave? If you let fear rule your life then you aren't really living. You should take a chance. You may never know where it may lead. _

_Sincerely,_

_Juliet _

I began folding the letter so I could place it in the envelope but stopped. I unfolded it and added my first name and email address telling her that if she ever needed someone to talk to she could contact me through email. Before I could change my mind, I folded the letter and stuck it in the envelope. After addressing it, I placed it in the basket to be mailed.

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**E/N **_The next chapter should be up later this week or early next week..._


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N **_Here's the fourth chapter in this story...I hope that you enjoy..._

_I again want to thank Loki's Only Love for betaing this..._

**Disclaimer: **_I own none of the recognizable places or characters..._

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4.

_5 weeks later_

The sun had just peeked out from the clouds as I returned home. When I rounded the corner to my street, I noticed a person standing on the sidewalk by my house. Walking closer, I noticed that the person was wearing jeans and a long sleeved dark orange long T-shirt. They also had long dark hair.

"May I help you?" I called out when I was almost upon them.

The person turned revealing herself to be a woman with olive skin and dark eyes. "Are you Sophie Wyman?" she asked.

"Yes. Can I help you?" I answered curiously.

"Oh sorry. I'm Meredith Black. You wrote me a letter as Juliet."

Her name didn't ring a bell at first but then I remembered the letter I read and replied to weeks ago when Charlie and I were in Italy.

"You did send me that letter didn't you?" she asked.

Her question shook me of my thoughts. "Yes."

She sighed relieved. "Oh good. For a moment there I thought I had the wrong person."

"No, it just took me a moment to place your name."

"Of course. You must answer thousands of letters so mine was just one…" she began, a nervous lilt to her voice.

I walked closer to her. "I help the secretaries out sometimes when I'm in Verona but I remember writing the letter. Though that was weeks ago."

Meredith shivered.

"Oh where are my manners. Would you like to come in?"

"Yes, please," she answered.

I went passed her and opened the door using my key. I walked in first and she followed.

"Oh what a lovely place."

Before I could answer her I heard my name being called.

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**E/N **_Chapter 5 should be up early next week..._


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N **_I'd like to again thank Loki's Only Love for looking this over_

_Disclaimer: I own none of the recognizable names or characters..._

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5.

Claire came out from the kitchen holding a red mug. She smiled when she saw me. "I thought that was you. Charlie said that he wouldn't be home until later…oh we have company."

"Um yes…" I turned to see Meredith with a surprised look. "This is Meredith Black. Meredith, Claire."

Claire came over and extended her hand to Meredith. "It's nice to meet you."

"You too," Meredith managed.

"Well, come on in," she told us both. We obliged, walking further into the house. Claire stopped me in the doorway of the den while I motioned Meredith to continue into it. "I hope you don't mind that I'm here. I didn't know that you were having a guest."

"No." and it was the truth. Claire had a key to the house and was a frequent visitor when she was in the area. Neither Charlie nor I minded since we both loved her and cherished her company. "I didn't know either. I just met Meredith outside a minute ago."

"Oh," she said. "Well then, shall we?"

I nodded and walked into the room. Meredith was looking at the photos on the cherry bookshelf. She didn't notice that Claire and I come in so I cleared my throat. She turned around, her cheeks coloring when she saw us. "I hope that you don't mind," she said.

"No," I told her earnestly. Something about her put me at ease which was why I had invited her in so easily.

"Is this your husband?" she asked indicating our wedding picture.

"Yes."

"He's handsome."

"He is," I admitted proudly.

"Can I get you a drink Meredith?" Claire asked from behind me.

"No thanks, Claire," she answered.

"Sophie?"

"No thanks," I answered turning to her. Looking back at my guest I asked, "Would you like to sit?" indicating the sofa.

"Okay," she answered before walking over to where I indicated and sat. Once Claire and I sat on the sofa opposite her, she said, "I bet you both are wondering what I'm doing here…"

Claire looked over at me but I was unsure on what to say. Meredith was unaware of my silence as she continued. "I'm here to ask for your help."

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**E/n **_I hope to have the next chapter up either the end of this week or middle of next week..._


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N **_Thanks again to Loki's Only Love for looking this over. _

_Disclaimer: I own none of the recognizable names or characters..._

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6.

"Help with what?" Claire inquired before I could.

Meredith looked us square in the face, her expression serious. "Getting the love of my life back."

"You're taking a chance," I proclaimed happily.

"Yes, thanks to you."

Claire looked between us confused so I told her about reading Meredith's letter and answering it. "This sounds familiar," she noted with a smile once I finished.

"Yeah, but you came on your own accord to Italy to find Lorenzo and I asked to help you, not the other way around."

"That's why I tracked you down," Meredith cut in. "I read your story about Claire and the Juliet Secretaries and I wondered if you could be of assistance. The fact that we both live in London seemed like fate wanted us to meet."

"How'd you find me?" I asked very curious to hear her answer.

She looked embarrassed. "Well, I'm good with computers and you left your email address and name on the letter I received so I was able to push a few buttons and get your name. Then all I had to do was use your name to look up your address."

"Why didn't you just email me?"

"I'm not sure. I guess I just thought that my story would be better told face to face."

"Oh," I said.

Claire moved closer to her. "Would you tell us your story?"

"Of course, but where should I begin?"

"Usually its better if you start at the beginning," I answered.

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**E/N **_I expect to post the next chapter Monday or Tuesday..._


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N **_Thanks again to Loki's Only Love for looking this over. _

_Disclaimer: I own none of the recognizable names or characters..._

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7.

"We met at college."

"What's his name?" Claire asked.

"Jonathan, Jonathan Miller," Meredith answered.

"How'd did you two meet?"

"I was at the campus bookstore at the beginning of my junior year buying books for class. I had just reached for a psychology book when my hand brushed against something warm. I immediately pulled my hand back and turned to see what it was. It turned out to be the hand of the handsomest man I've ever seen. He looked just like Josh Duhamel the actor."

"Who?" Claire questioned.

"He was in the transformer movie," I told her. Charlie and I had watched it once.

"Oh was he the young one who was the star?" Claire asked.

"No, that was Shia Lebeouf. Josh Duhamel was the army captain in the desert."

She thought for a moment. "Oh, he was a good looking boy."

Meredith who was quiet as Claire and I spoke, looked amused. "Of course, at the time, I had no idea of who Josh Duhamel was but talking to you, that was the easiest way to describe what Jon looked like then. And both the actor and Jon are extremely handsome."

"But not as handsome as Charlie," I mused half whispering.

Claire grinned at me obviously having heard me. "You're biased."

"I know," I said laughing.

Meredith laughed at my banter with Claire. "Well, like I said he was handsome. I just stared at him like a goober until he said 'hi'. My mental functions still didn't want to work well so he repeated the greeting in Spanish and French. I don't know why but that made me laugh. He just looked at me like I was nuts. Composing myself, I apologized for laughing. After that we continued talking and I learned his name and in turn gave him mine. He eventually allowed me to take the psych book that we had both reached for and we made a date to see each other the next day."

"So you met him the next day?" I asked.

Meredith nodded. "We met for lunch at the dining hall. We talked about our families and freshmen year at college. He told me that he transferred."

"What school did you attend?" Claire asked.

"The University of Pennsylvania. Anyway, after our first date we decided to make plans to see each other again and soon we were exclusive."

I didn't know what would happen if I asked about how long they were together but I decided to anyway. She didn't seem perturbed by my question and answered, "Four years. I was twenty when I met him."

"That's a long time," mused Claire.

"It is," Meredith agreed. "They were probably some of the happiest years of my life."

The big question loomed in front of us. Claire, who seemed as interested in Meredith's story as I, was the first to speak. "So what happened?"

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**E/N **_The next chapter will be up next week. Probably Monday or Tuesday..._


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N **_Again thanks to Loki's Only Love for looking this over. There's not much going on in this chapter but things get moving in the next few so I hope that you'll forgive me..._

_Disclaimer: I own none of the recognizable names or characters..._

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8.

Meredith's demeanor changed. While talking about the first meeting with her ex, she seemed animated and happy. Now, she was somber. "I guess that would be the next logical question."

"I'm sorry to ask but your story sounds so wonderful…" Claire stated sympathetically.

"I guess the trouble started a year or so after we graduated college," she began wringing her hands. "See, Jon had lots of nieces and nephews and he absolutely adored them. He would get this light in his eyes whenever he was near them."

I wanted to ask why that was a problem. Lots of people adored children. There was only one reason I could think for that being an issue and that would be so heartbreaking! With this in mind, I believed I knew what she was about to say but this was her story and she'd get to it in due course. I looked over at Claire and saw the same expression on her face that I was sure was on mine. I knew that she must have come to the same conclusion. So together we waited to hear the rest of what Meredith was about to say.

She was staring at her hands. "We were still in school when we met so kids never entered into our discussions but now we had degrees and jobs. I knew by the way he interacted with his nieces and nephews that he wanted kids of his own but I knew that was something I could never give him."

"Why not?" I whispered hoping that I was wrong.

"I can't have children."

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**E/N **_i_ hope to have the next chapter up next week either Monday or Tuesday...


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N **_Again thanks to Loki's Only Love for looking this over..._

_Disclaimer: I own none of the recognizable names or characters..._

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9.

I was really hoping that I was wrong in my assessment of the problem but I wasn't.

Claire was immediately up and sitting next to Meredith. She pulled the girl into her arms for a comforting hug. I crossed over to the other sofa, sat on Meredith's other side, and patted her leg since Claire still held her.

Meredith pulled away from Claire's embrace after several moments. "Now you know why I couldn't let him marry me."

"Did you ever think that he wouldn't care?" I asked.

"If you saw him with children you would know that he would want some of his own," Meredith stated stubbornly.

"But if he loved you, which I believe he did shouldn't you have told him and let him decide for himself? You just left without giving him a choice."

Meredith sighed heavily. "I know that now and that's why I've come to see you."

"What can we do for you?" Claire asked emphasizing the "we". I had no doubt that Claire wanted to help this poor woman as much as I did.

"I want to talk to him if he'll even talk to me that is. I want to apologize for being so stupid. But Jonathan Miller is such a common name so I don't know where to start. Having an email address would help since that's how I found you but the one he had doesn't exist anymore. I know I tried. I'm all out of ideas. Then I remembered reading your story about Claire and her search for Lorenzo. I thought that maybe you could possibly helped me like you helped her." She turned to me and looked me straight in the eye. "Will you help me?"

"I can certainly try," I told her earnestly, knowing that I couldn't refuse her request.

"We will," Claire added squeezing her hand.

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**E/N **_The next chapter should be up next Monday or Tuesday..._


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N **_Again thanks to Loki's Only Love for looking this over...After all of the heaviness in the last couple of chapters, I decided that a bit of fluff would be nice but it does keep with the story so I hope that you enjoy... Updated 3/24...Winterluna was kind enough to make me realize that I wasn't good at showing Sophie's emotions in this chapter so I hope the additions I made remedy that..._

_Disclaimer: I own none of the recognizable names or characters..._

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10.

Meredith left soon after giving me her cell phone number so that I could reach her.

"Well, that was something," Claire stated once she left.

I nodded. "It was."

I went to get a drink of water. Upon returning to the den I heard the door open. Before I could do anything else, warm, familiar arms wrapped around my waist as a kiss was placed on my neck. I smiled happy that he was home. I immediately turned around to return the greeting to Charlie by brushing my lips across his. He wasn't satisfied with that so he pulled me closer and deepened our kiss. I wrapped my arms behind his neck to get even closer but a loud throat clearing had me dropping my arms and stepping away from my husband who didn't look happy at being interrupted. I smiled at him thinking that his expression was adorable.

"Should I leave?" Claire asked teasingly.

I blushed at her words, embarrassed that she caught me basically mauling her grandson. But Charlie only grinned sheepishly before turning towards her. "No, Gran. I'll behave myself for now."

She laughed at his words. "Do I get a greeting?"

His hands left my waist as he went over to Claire and kissed her cheek. "Hello Gran." I couldn't help the frown on my face at the loss of contact.

"Hi dear," she told him patting his cheek affectionately.

"How was work?" I asked him.

"Good..." he started.

"Charlie," I said in a tone that showed I knew he wasn't being completely honest.

He sighed unhappily. "The cases I've been given are not great..."

"How so?" I asked.

"I knew that when I took the time off for our wedding and honeymoon that they would have to give the cases I hasn't finished and new ones to other lawyers but I thought that by now I would be given back the better cases again."

I went to him and wrapped my arms around him, resting my head on his shoulder. His hands instinctively wrapped round me to rest on my waist-though a little too close to my behind for comfort considering Claire was still in the room. "I'm sorry Charlie."

"What are you sorry about?" he asked curiously.

"I'm sorry that your bosses don't see what I see."

"And what's that?"

"That you are a brilliant lawyer who loves what he does and likes to help out people in any way that he can."

He leaned back before cupping my cheek with one hand and bringing his lips to mine. I savored their taste for a few moments before ending the kiss since I didn't think that Claire would want to see us making out again.

"What do you two ladies think about getting something to eat," Charlie suddenly asked clearing his throat.

Claire and I both laughed at his choice of timing before agreeing. He must have been a bit uneasy at having his grandmother in the room even though it didn't seem to bother him earlier.

"I bought roast beef, potatoes and vegetables for dinner," Claire said. "We can tell him the story while dinner is baking."

I could have argued that she was a welcomed guest and that she didn't need to cook but it would have fallen on deaf ears. So I acquiesced to her suggestion but I still told her that I was helping.

"What story?" Charlie asked looking curious and following us into the kitchen. As I helped Claire get the ingredients out I began telling Charlie about the letter and meeting Meredith with Claire interjecting from time to time to add more details. By the time we finished the story dinner was ready and we were sitting down to eat.

"What can I do to help?" Charlie asked surprising me.

"Well, first we need to narrow down the number of Jonathan Millers. It's a common name," I answered.

"What kind of job does he have?" Charlie inquired. "And does he live in London?"

"I didn't think to ask," I admitted to him. "I guess I just got caught up in her story. Though I am willing to bet that he is in London."

Claire swallowed her sip of wine. "Me too."

"I'll call her." I got up and went to the den to grab my cell phone where I had programmed her number in it earlier when she gave it to me. I found the number and hit send. It rang four times before her voicemail clicked on. I left her a brief message asking her to call me back. Returning to the table, I relayed what happened to Charlie and Claire.

"Maybe she'll call back soon," Claire said optimistically.

I smiled at her. "Before she does I should see if there are any more questions that we neglected to ask so that when she does call I can ask them."

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**E/N **_The next chapter should be up next Monday..._


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N **_I've decided to post this a day early... __Again thanks to Loki's Only Love for looking this over.._

_Disclaimer: I own none of the recognizable names or characters..._

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11.

Meredith didn't call back till the next morning as Charlie was getting ready to leave for the office. We agreed to meet in the afternoon since we both had to work. Charlie, who had overheard the conversation, asked if he could join me when I went to meet her.

"Sure," I told him. After last night I wasn't surprised that he wanted to go and meet her. He did ask if he could help.

He smiled as he came closer and lowered his lips to mine. They tasted sweet like maple syrup.

"Mmmm you taste like maple syrup," I told him once we parted, licking my lips.

"You do too," he mused contentedly looking at my where my tongue had been. "Must be from the pancakes we just had."

"Most likely," I agreed amusedly. I licked my lips again to see what he would do. Normally he would kiss me again. He didn't do what I expected so I took matters into my own hands and wrapped my hand around the back of his head and pulled his lips to mine. Pulling back, I noticed that he had ten minutes to get to work. Deep down inside I yearned to have another day like we had on our honeymoon where we could just do anything or nothing. But we both had things we needed to do so instead I said, "Have a good day and see you later."

He pouted at my dismissing him and I kissed him again, letting my tongue caress his lips. "If you're a good boy maybe I'll make waffles tomorrow morning."

He licked his lips. "Sounds good. I'll be back at three."

"Okay."

xxxxxx

Charlie and I met Meredith at her flat which was about twenty minutes from ours. She was surprised to see Charlie with me but didn't say anything against him being there. I made a quick introduction and she allowed us inside. Her place was tasteful with colorful paintings and minimalist style furniture. Charlie, ever the gentleman, let me precede him to follow Meredith into the den.

"Please sit," she told us motioning to a cream colored sofa. We both did as she asked.

"Do you want anything to drink?"

"Water, please," I answered. Charlie indicated that he wanted the same. Meredith left the room returning a few minutes later with three glasses. She handed one to me and another to Charlie before sitting in a chair facing us.

"I'm glad you called."

"I have some questions," I told her.

"Okay."

"I guess the first thing that I'd like to ask is what does Jon do for a living?"

"He received a degree in education and was a substitute teacher right after he graduated."

"So he's a teacher," Charlie inquired. He took my free hand in his and threaded our fingers.

"Not necessarily. He also talked about possibly going to law school."

Charlie quirked his eyebrow in question. "Law school?" I had to admit that law seemed like a one hundred and eighty degree turn from being an educator.

"Yes," Meredith answered. "One of his nieces has a disability and they gave her a hard time when she went to school despite there being laws so he was contemplating becoming a lawyer to help her and others like her." There was a sense of pride as she spoke.

"So education or law. We have two areas where we can look for him," Charlie stated observably.

"He lives in London doesn't he?" I asked. I know that it sounded odd for me to ask but I needed to make sure.

"Yes, I learned from a mutual friend of ours that he moved here a year or so after I broke up with him."

"Did your friend tell you anything else?" Charlie queried.

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**E/N **_The next chapter was just sent to Loki's Only Love so hopefully I'll have it back to post next Monday or Tuesday..._


	12. Chapter 12

_**A/N **I am sorry that this chapter is later than usual...my friend, Loki's Only Love took longer than I had hoped to get back to me...Also I am not from England so I don't know that much about the British school system or British law so please excuse any mistakes I have made regarding these two things. I guess you can say that I am using creative license when it comes to them..._ _Again thanks to Loki's Only Love for looking this over.._

_Disclaimer: I own none of the recognizable names or characters..._

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12.

Meredith shook her head. "Not much. Shauna was always closer to Jon so I guess she felt more loyalty to him than me."

"What else did she say?" I asked. From her tone I doubt that it would have been anything nice.

"Let's just say that she can have a colorful vocabulary when she wants to."

I frowned and sat up angling my body closer to her. "I'm sorry Meredith."

She shook her head. "Really I think that I deserved much worse than she gave."

"No one deserves that," Charlie said softly. He was watching Meredith with a sympathetic expression.

She tried to smile at him. I knew that he meant what he said since he had once said some unkind words to me with regards to not knowing what loss felt like and was instantly sorry that he had said anything when Claire informed him about my mom. I couldn't help but be moved by his words so I leaned over and kissed his cheek wondering what I did to deserve him.

After a few minutes of silence, I decided to bring the subject back around to finding Jon. "Well, if he went into law to help his niece and others like her like you said then maybe he's a child's advocate lawyer," I suggested.

"Possibly. They do have those types of lawyers in England don't they?"

We both looked at Charlie.

"Yes. It's similar to the type of law I practice. But since it has only been three years since you saw him last he could be an intern."

I was surprised at myself for not thinking of that. I looked over to see if Meredith was thinking along the same lines as me but it didn't appear like it though the wheels were spinning in her head.

"Could Jon work in your office?" Meredith asked before I could. I was surprised at the turn this conversation was taking. Could Charlie know Jon somehow? Could it really be that easy?

Charlie was dumbfounded by her question. I don't think that question occurred to him until she asked. "There are no Jon's in the group I work with but the firm I work for is large."

His answer was disappointing. Apparently it wasn't that easy.

"Can we go ask?" Meredith asked. She seemed both eager to go and nervous.

"Why don't I check the index and see if I can find any Jonathan Millers in it."

"Index?" she asked curiously.

"It's a database with all the lawyers who work at his firm," I answered. Charlie had mentioned the index once before and I had asked him what it was.

"I'll check it tomorrow for you. We can only use the index at the office." He seemed genuinely sorry that we had to wait.

"Maybe while Charlie does that we can look at other leads," I told her with a hopeful lilt to my voice.

"Like what?"

"Well, you did say he was teacher…"

"A sub," she interjected.

"Okay. Maybe he's still a teacher. Claire has some contacts in the education system I believe." As I said the last part I looked at Charlie and he nodded. "Tomorrow we can see if any Jonathan Millers are teachers."

"Okay."

"And if that or Charlie's idea doesn't pan out we can look to see if he is a student at one of the universities."

She seemed confused for a moment then the words that Charlie spoke earlier must have registered. "That's a good idea."

With the help of Meredith's answers we had a plan.

**E/N **_I expect the next chapter will be up in a week...probably next Monday or Tuesday..._


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N **_Again thanks to Loki's Only Love for looking this over..._

_Disclaimer: I own none of the recognizable names or characters..._

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13.

The next day Claire and I met up with Meredith. After leaving her place the previous night, Charlie and I returned home to find Claire talking on the phone with Lorenzo. She ended the call shortly after she saw us and we told her about our time with Meredith. She was delighted to get in touch with her friend and see if she could find anything. We were meeting Claire's friend, Ron, at a primary school just outside of London.

Meredith was nervous as we got closer to the school. "What if it's really him?"

"Then you just talk to him," I answered stepping closer to her to show my support.

"But I can't exactly go up to him and say 'Hi remember me?' to him. I know I talk for a living but even I can't think of a way to begin a conversation."

"You talk for a living?" Claire inquired.

"Yes, I am an auctioneer."

"So you talk extremely fast then," I mused lightly.

She laughed. "Yeah, I guess I do." Laughing seemed to lessen her nerves which was a good thing. But they soon returned so Claire and I tried to lighten the mood by asking her about her job. This seemed to work until we rounded the corner and saw a sandy haired man in a tan suit standing outside the school doors.

"That's Ron," Claire told us. We walked together with Meredith in between us to him. When we got close enough I could see that Ron had some gray at his temples.

"Mrs. Wyman, it's nice to see you," Ron said affably.

"Ron it's been years since I was your teacher. And I've remarried since then."

He smiled as he rubbed the back of his head. "Oh, yeah I read about that. But you'll always be Mrs. Wyman to me."

Claire smiled back at him. "May I introduce Mrs. Sophie Hall-Wyman and Ms. Meredith Black? Sophie, Meredith, Mr. Ron Chambers."

"You are the woman who wrote the article aren't you?" Ron asked addressing me and holding out his hand.

"Yes, and I'm Claire's granddaughter-in-law," I said shaking his outstretched hand. I was a little taken aback that he addressed me first and not Meredith since she was the reason why we were here.

"None of that in law stuff. She's my granddaughter," Claire stated firmly.

I smiled affectionately at her. In truth Claire was more of a mother to me and Charlie with him losing his when he was so young and mine disappearing on me when I was nine. Meredith took the initiative and stepped forward to shake his hand next. "Nice to meet you Mr. Chambers."

He shook his head as if remembering there was another person present. "Please call me Ron and it's a pleasure making your acquaintance. Both you ladies. I've heard that you're interested in one of my teachers."

"We are," I answered. "Jonathan Miller."

"Well, I just might be able to help you. Follow me."

Ron turned and opened the door motioning for us to go in. Before we took a step I looked over at Meredith and asked, "Are you ready?"

"As I'll ever be," she replied shakily.

"We're right here with you," I told her.

"Right here," Claire agreed.

Meredith looked between us and tried to grin. "Thanks."

Together Claire, Meredith and I entered the school with Ron following. He closed the door making Meredith jump slightly.

"Sorry," he said.

She gave him a slight nod to show that she wasn't upset and we began walking with Ron leading. The school was three stories with lockers on either side of the hall. the floors were gray. We passed by five classrooms until we stopped at a brown door that was identical to the others except for the number displayed in the middle below a window.

"Wait here," Ron said before knocking on the door and entering. We couldn't hear what was being said but minutes later Ron appeared again. A tall man with short brown hair appeared not long after. We could only see his posterior as he was backing out of the classroom. I felt Meredith grab my hand. I squeezed it comfortingly.

"Please look at page fifty while I'm gone," the man said in a deep voice.

I looked over at Meredith. She was standing as stiff as a board. The door closed and I looked back to the man in front of us.

* * *

**E/N **_The next chapter was sent to Loki's Only Love so hopefully I'll have it back to post next Monday or Tuesday..._


	14. Chapter 14

_**A/N **My friend has been busy recently so she hasn't given me this chapter back yet but I wanted to post it instead of leaving readers in suspense for much longer so any mistakes are mine...I hope that you enjoy! _

_**Disclaimer: **I own none of the recognizable characters or places..._

* * *

14.

He had blue eyes and a nice smile. "Hi I'm Jonathan Miller," he said upon seeing us and extending his hand.

Claire was first to introduce herself. I, again, looked to Meredith. She appeared both relieved and disappointed. "It's not him," she whispered to me before taking his hand and saying hi. I took his hand last and introduced myself.

"Ron said that you wanted to speak to me," he stated.

"Um, yes. See my friend here used to know a man by your name and she was interested in finding him," I told him.

Mr. Miller glanced at Meredith. "I wish I could be of assistance but this is the first time I have ever met Ms. Black." He sounded sincere.

"I'm sorry that we have disturbed you," Meredith said genuinely.

"I'm not," he replied but looked at Ron sheepishly. Ron just shook his head. "It's not often that I get to meet such lovely ladies," Jonathan added flirtatiously. He picked up Meredith's hand and kissed the back of it.

I refrained from shaking my head at his obvious flirting but couldn't help the smile. I turned to see Meredith blushing and smiling at his attentions. Her reaction made me wonder if this was the first time she had ever received attentions such as this before. On the other side of Meredith, Claire looked like she was trying not to chuckle. His gesture and manners were certainly charming and I was curious to know whether his charm worked as well on children that they seemed to with my friend although it wouldn't work quite in the same way.

A loud crashing sound came from his classroom making me jump.

Neither man appear alarmed. "Well, I better go see what happened. But if you don't find the man that you're looking for give me a ring." Mr. Miller gave us a quick farewell before heading back into the room.

"I hope that nothing really bad happened," Meredith told him. I wasn't sure if he heard her or not. Ron did. "If it was we have insurance," he told her. "But most of the items in our school are unbreakable. It wouldn't be a good idea to something that could potentially harm a child anywhere nearby."

"That's very practical," I complimented him.

He smiled. "You don't work with children and not have these types of situations."

Claire nodded in agreement. Knowing that she used to teach children around the same age I was willing to bet that she had witnessed many situations like this before. She had also taken care of Charlie for most of his life and from stories I heard from both her and her grandson I knew that Charlie could be quite rambunctious in his youth.

"I'm sorry that didn't go as planned," Ron stated sympathetically. He was looking at Claire more than me or Meredith.

We all smiled at him and thanked him for his time.

"If you ever need any more assistance please ring me up," he said as he walked us to the door.

Once outside I turned to Meredith. "I'm sorry that wasn't him."

"I am disappointed but also a bit relieved."

"I saw that in your expression. Why?"

"I guess part of me hoped that it was him and part of me hoped that it wasn't because I'm scared of what he will say or do if we ever do meet."

"Don't be scared, dear," Claire said soothingly.

I nodded in agreement with Claire. "Remember what I wrote in your letter?"

She sighed. "Take a chance."

"That's right. You never know what may happen. Look at Claire for instance."

Claire smiled. "I found my wonderful Lorenzo." She spoke his name lovingly. I wondered if I said Charlie's name the same way.

"You do," Claire said to me.

I blushed in slight embarrassment. I guess that I said the last part out loud.

"I think it's sweet how you love your husbands," Meredith said wistfully.

"Jon would be a fool not to forgive you," Claire told her. I agreed with her. Meredith was a nice person who just made a wrong decision. We could all be at fault for making those types of decisions on one or more occasion. For example Claire left Lorenzo when she was fifteen and I went back to Victor when I was already falling in love with Charlie. Claire and I had a chance to right those wrongs and we were both happier in our lives now. Now it was Meredith's chance at a happy ending.

"I wouldn't blame him if he hated me."

"No one would dare hate you," Claire said adamantly.

_**E/N When I get this chapter back from Loki's Only Love I'll make any necessary changes. I hope to post the next chapter next Monday or Tuesday...**_


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N **_Again thanks to Loki's Only Love for looking this over..._

_Disclaimer: I own none of the recognizable names or characters..._

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15.

"So how did it go earlier?"

Charlie was lying on our bed with his arm over his eyes. He had lost his suit jacket somewhere and his white shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His shoes were also dangling off the end of the bed. Sometimes after he arrived home he liked to lay and relax especially if it was a trying day. He often told me that laying there he could just breathe and let his mind unwind. It helped him think clearer when he did so. I tried it once and ended up falling asleep.

I picked up his shoes and placed them on the floor. "How'd you know that it was me?"

"Gran hardly ever comes in our bedroom."

"True," I said laying down next to him. He uncovered his eyes and turned his head towards me.

"To answer your question he wasn't the one Meredith is looking for."

He placed his hand on my cheek and I covered it with my own. "Was Meredith upset?"

"Disappointed and relieved were her words," I answered before telling him about our experience at the school with Ron and the wrong Jonathan Miller.

"Was he really that charming?" Charlie inquired. Leave it to my husband to ask about that first. He wasn't the jealous type but he still didn't like other guys trying to charm me. He told me that was his job. Charlie did have some charm. I didn't get to see it at first because he was so against Claire finding Lorenzo, but, as I got to know him better, and we started to fall in love it started coming out. He also used his charm with clients which was one of the reasons why he was such a good lawyer.

"Yes, but he directed it towards Meredith even going on to say that if she didn't find her Jon she could call him."

"Good."

"Good?"

"You're _my _wife," Charlie stated succinctly.

I nuzzled his palm and kissed it. "And you're _my _husband."

He smiled at me. "Glad that's cleared up." I shook my head at his silliness but we were both at the stage in our marriage where we liked hearing the words 'husband and wife'. We just laid there for several minutes' content to be together when Charlie said, "I can imagine."

"Imagine what?"

"Her being disappointed yet relieved."

"How so?"

"When Gran was searching for Lorenzo I had so many mixed emotions. I wanted her to be happy but I didn't like her searching for her long lost love. My grandfather was her true love."

I couldn't help but snort. "I remember. You were quite verbal with some of your opinions."

"And I remember you not letting me get away with anything and having your own words to say back," he teased, his lips twitching with amusement.

"But you wouldn't have me any other way," I teased back.

"No I wouldn't." He turned over so that his whole body was facing me and guided my lips to his. My hands found purchase on his face holding him in place. The kiss began as it usually did sweet and tender but it turned needy. I knew that something was wrong so I ended the kiss and pulled back so I could see him properly.

"What's wrong?" I asked trying to hold him in place. He knew how to wiggle out of my hold and started kissing down my neck obviously not wanting to answer.

"Seriously what's going on? It can't be that bad."

He leaned back and ran his hand through his hair. "I'm just frustrated."

"Why?" I asked trying to tame his now tangled locks. "Are you still disappointed with the cases you're getting?"

"I talked to Eric. He told me that my skills were better suited for the types of cases I'm being given." Eric was his superior. I met him once. He reminded me of the Charlie I first met; stubborn in his beliefs, arrogant. Charlie could still be stubborn and arrogant at times but he wasn't as bad as when I first met him.

"I'm sure that you'll blow them away and they'll realize what idiots they," I told him with conviction. I knew that his frustrations might seem trivial but my husband strived to help those most in need and he felt that he wasn't getting the chance to do that. It was one of the many reasons why I loved him. "Or they could just be complimenting you."

His brow furrowed. "How's that?'

I kissed him again. "They know that you are a skilled attorney and that you'll blow away the rest of the guys you work with so by giving you the cases they are they are allowing the rest of your colleagues a chance to learn a thing or two before they bring you the bigger cases again. Does that make any sense?"

He smiled for the first time since I came in the room so I take that he did understand what I was saying. "What did I do to deserve you?" His tone was reverent as he spoke, his fingers caressing my face; cheek, chin, and lips.

I kissed his index finger as it passed along my lips not knowing how to respond since I had often asked the same question about him.

**E/N **_The next chapter should be up next Monday or Tuesday..._


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N **_Again thanks to Loki's Only Love for looking this over..._

_Disclaimer: I own none of the recognizable names or characters..._

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16.

We stayed up in our bedroom just relaxing for a while after we talked. Maybe relaxing wasn't the best term to use but our time together after we talked did relieve us of any stress we had thus leaving us relaxed. At least Charlie was in a better mood when we went downstairs after dressing in gray sweats and a red t-shirt for him and black yoga pants and a pink t-shirt for me. The door opened as I came to the last step and Claire walked in. She was carrying a large sack that looked like it was from the local market. "Do you need any help?" I asked. Charlie looked like he wanted to ask the same thing.

"Hi," she said when she saw us. If she noticed anything about the way we were dressed, she didn't say anything. We weren't usually dressed so casually at this time of day and our hair must have looked like a mess since I had been running my hands through Charlie's hair and vice versa.

"No, I'm fine." She hastened to the kitchen before either Charlie or I could move to take the sack.

We quickly followed her and started helping her put things away. I put away the eggs and milk that she had and Charlie placed things in the cabinets that were hard for his grandmother to reach. It took only a few trips and we were finished.

"So did you find anything at work today Charlie?" Claire asked once everything was put away.

It took me a minute to realize what she was asking. I felt bad for not having asked but I had other things on my mind. So had my husband for that matter.

Claire must have misinterpreted my expression because she said, "Do you already know?"

I shook off any guilt I felt. "Um no."

"We were um distracted," Charlie admitted, blushing a little.

"Yeah we were," I added, my own cheeks heating up. In fact, my lips were still a little numb from all of Charlie's kisses. That's not the only place his lips went but to acknowledge any of this in front of his grandmother would have been awkward hence my red stained cheeks. Even thinking of it felt strange. If Charlie and I had been alone I might have still turned red thinking of our earlier activities but my husband probably have just kissed me before taking me upstairs again. He did however give me a quick look that made it apparent that he wished that we were alone to resume our earlier activities before turning his attention back to Claire.

Seeing our blushes, Claire must had realized what our distraction had been since she smiled. "Oh I see." I doubt that she was surprised since our newlywed status practically begged for us to spend a great amount of time together in the bedroom.

"Actually I did find an intern named Jonathan Miller."

I turned my head so fast I almost got whiplash. "You did?"

Charlie came closer frowning. "Are you okay?"

I rubbed my neck self-consciously. "Um yeah. You were saying that you found a Jonathan Miller…"

He didn't answer at first just came even closer removing my hand and touched my neck checking to see if I was really okay. Neither one of us like to see the other in pain.

"I'm really okay. Just shouldn't have turned so quickly," I told him covering his hand with mine. His worry didn't dissipate. "Go sit. I'll go get the ice pack," he said. Seeing as I was closest to the refrigerator he'd have to pass by me to get there. He gently made his way around me and opened the freezer. We had a side by side refrigerator/freezer so he did so handily and grabbed a towel to wrap the ice up in. I sat and he placed it tenderly on my neck.

"So um you said something about an intern?" I asked stuttering a bit. His hand was still on my neck, his warmth sending delicious tingles down my spine at the same time that the ice was cooling my skin. It was an interesting combination. One that I had never experienced before.

He kissed me once before removing his hand. It must have been cold. I would have taken it and warmed his hand between mine but I was holding the ice pack. "Yes, I did," he answered.

Claire walked over and asked, "Are you okay darling?" "Yes, Charlie didn't need to get the ice," I told them as I grabbed the ice, taking it off my neck. Charlie frowned so I leaned into him in hope that my action would reassure him of my being okay. He pulled away looked at my neck and seemingly satisfied that my head wasn't going to fall off or anything pulled me back to him.

"Don't leave us in suspense, Charlie," Claire stated.

So Charlie told us how he had found an intern in the Child's Advocates Office.

**E/N **_The next chapter should be up next Monday or Tuesday..._


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N **_Again thanks to Loki's Only Love for looking this over..._

_Disclaimer: I own none of the recognizable names or characters..._

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17.

A few days later I stood along with Meredith outside of Charlie's law firm. She was looking up at the twenty-story glass building nervously.

"Are you okay?" I asked her hoping that she didn't let her nerves ratchet up any higher than they already were.

She nodded unconvincingly.

"Don't worry Meredith, you'll have me and Sophie there right by your side like last time," Claire said coming to stand next to her.

She gave her a weak smile. "Thank you, Claire...and you too Sophie," she added turning to me.

I went up to her and gently squeezed her arm comfortingly. "And Charlie will be there." In fact, Charlie arranged an impromptu meeting with Jonathan Miller, intern. I didn't know exactly what he had planned or how he was going to make sure that Mr. Miller was around for us to meet him but I knew that if anyone could pull a meeting like this off he could.

"Okay take a deep breath," Claire said taking Meredith's arm. I moved closer and as a united front we entered the building. The only thing that he had told me was to tell anyone who asked that we were there to meet him for lunch.

I knew that he worked on the seventeenth floor but we needed visitor's passes so we went up to the front desk. Luckily I recognized the young red haired woman working at the desk. We had met a couple times before when I had come to see Charlie.

"Hi Sophie," she said casually when we approached the desk. I wasn't surprised at the greeting since I had asked her to call me by my first name.

"Hi Jessica," I greeted back. "We would like passes to seventeen."

"Going to get your man and go to lunch?" she asked. She was British but her use of an American phrase made me want to giggle.

I nodded my head in answer. She smiled and handed me three passes. I clipped one to my shirt and handed the other two to Meredith and Claire. We thanked Jessica and headed to the elevators. I watched Meredith trying to gauge how bad her nerves were as we walked.

I'm okay Sophie," she said with a sigh bringing me out of my thoughts. She had apparently caught me watching her so I gave her an apologetic smile.

"Of course you are dear," Claire stated. "I have a feeling today will be a good day," she added confidently. I hoped for Meredith's sake that she was right. I didn't want my friend to be disappointed again. As we walked to the elevator Meredith started asking questions that she said she had been remiss in asking before. I think talking helped her nerves. It did when we visited the school so when she inquired more about how Charlie and I met, about our adventures to Italy and our wedding I answered her as well as I could even questions that weren't in the article which she had read. Some things were just too personal to me and I didn't want the world to know about them. I, in turn, asked about her experiences with the country.

We reached the elevators. As the doors closed and Claire pushed the button for seventeen, Meredith said, "Italy is beautiful. I remember going there on a vacation with my parents when I was a child. Jon and I talked about maybe going there someday but things happen…"

"What made you go to Verona?" I asked.

"The Secretaries of Juliet," she answered. "I read about them in a book I found in the library, and yes I am one of those people that still go to the library."

I smiled. "I do too."

Meredith smiled back. "I don't doubt that. Anyway, I read about how these women answered all of these letters from people around the world and I wondered if maybe one of them could give me advice." She turned to me and took my hand in hers. "And it worked."

"So you flew all the way to Italy for advice?" Claire asked. I am ashamed to admit that I had forgotten she was there. She had been so quiet.

She shrugged. "I didn't really think anything of it. I was interested in getting some advice from an impartial person. If I went to Shauna she would have told me to forget Jon."

"That's the friend who was closer to your ex," I said. She nodded.

"Good thing we don't share her opinion."

Meredith grinned. "The funny thing is that I knew Shauna before Jon met her. I think the reason why she is so loyal to him is because she's had a crush on him ever since she met him."

"That's awful," Claire said shaking her head. I had to agree.

"Did you know for a fact those were her feelings?" I asked.

"It was just my opinion. I mean Jon was handsome and nice guy."

"I'm sure he still is," I told her.

I could see that all this talk about Shauna and Jon were starting to make her nervous again so I decided to ask a neutral question. "Are you from Pennsylvania?"

Meredith looked at me like I'd lost my mind.

I shrugged. "Just making conversation."

She rolled her eyes a little but answered, "No, I was born in Virginia. You?"

"New York State," I answered. And so we talked about our respective pasts with Claire adding her two cents when she had visited a place we spoke of until the elevator doors opened.

**E/N **_The next chapter should be up next Monday or Tuesday..._


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N **_I decided to post this a day earlier than I was expecting... __Again thanks to Loki's Only Love for looking this over..._

_Disclaimer: I own none of the recognizable names or characters..._

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18.

We got off on Charlie's floor and headed toward his office space. He had a small office with a sturdy wooden desk. A computer sat atop it. Bookshelves of the same material lined the back wall filled with various law books. Charlie was sitting behind his desk dressed in a dark blue suit, his face obscured by a papers in his hand. I knocked once on the door to gain his attention since he couldn't see us and he quickly looked at us. Upon seeing that it was the three of us he placed the papers on his desk. Standing, he came over and gave me a quick kiss before kissing Claire on the cheek. Meredith looked a bit uncomfortable but ever since we became a couple that was how Charlie liked to greet me. I quite liked it to be honest. And he always kissed his grandmother on the cheek. It stemmed back to when he was a boy. Before Meredith could become anymore uncomfortable he turned shyly and greeted her. She smiled at him. "Hi Charlie."

"I can see that you are nervous. Don't be. I have everything worked out," he said addressing her.

She took a breath and let it out slowly. "You do?"

"Yes."

"He's always been good at formulating a plan," Claire chimed in. "Except when it came to Sophie."

He nodded. "If someone had told me that the woman whose letter resulted in my spending time on what seemed like a wild goose chase would become my wife I'd thought they were crazy."

I kissed his cheek. "You weren't in my plans either but destiny had other ideas."

"Well, yes, destiny does have a way with things doesn't it," he said, his words flush with emotions.

Meredith made a small noise effectively getting our attention. "What's the plan?" she asked. I wanted to know the answer myself. He had been vague on that part when he had spoken about finding an intern named Jonathan Miller.

"In one of my cases there is an issue concerning a minor of the client so I called down to the child advocates department for some information and they are sending someone up. I have it on good authority that the intern Jon Miller is the one coming up."

"How?" Claire inquired.

"A friend," he simply answered.

"Emily" I guessed. Charlie had mentioned that name before on occasion when he spoke of his job. Curious, I had asked him about her. He had seemed amused by my asking and at first that angered me because I couldn't understand his amusement. I wasn't normally a jealous person but like with Charlie a few days ago with the other Mr. Miller and his charm, I was unhappy with how he spoke of her. Of course, that only lasted until he told me that Emily was forty years old and happily married with two kids. He also told me that she reminded him of Claire. I met her at our wedding and she did have the same energy that Claire gave off and I liked her instantly.

By his expression he had not expected me to guess like I did though I don't think he was surprised that I knew who he meant.

"It was Emily," he confirmed. I knew it. I think that she thought of him as a little brother and she wanted to help him in any way that she could. She even tried to set him up with her niece once before we had gotten together because she thought he looked too sad. But that hadn't worked because by that time he was already in love with me. Of course, she hadn't known it at the time but when he came back from Claire's wedding looking happier she knew that something was up. He had eventually told her about me and invited her to our wedding. She was extremely happy for us.

Meredith glanced at the door. "Is he coming up now?"

Charlie nodded. "He should be here any minute."

"Shall we sit?" Claire suggested.

Meredith decided to stay standing stating that she would probably just fidget if she sat. Claire took a seat. I went to stand by Meredith hoping that by doing so it would help ease her nerves. The wall that we were against afforded is a view of the door but hid us from the sight of anyone at the door until they entered the office.

Someone, probably Mr. Miller, knocked on the door not a minute later. Meredith took a deep breath next to me.

"Come in," Charlie told him.

**E/N **_The next chapter should be up next Monday or Tuesday..._


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N **_Again thanks to Loki's Only Love for looking this over..._

_Disclaimer: I own none of the recognizable names or characters..._

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19.

A man walked into the room. He wore light gray dress pants and a white shirt. Flaxen waves the same color as mine topped his head and a mustache the same color graced his upper lip. "Charlie," he said succinctly going straight to Charlie and handing him a manila folder. "Thank you," my husband said to him.

Mr. Miller went to turn when he noticed Claire. He then searched the rest of the room and saw Meredith and me. He appeared disgruntled but tried to rearrange his expression upon seeing us. It didn't work too well. "Ladies," he greeted in a tone that he probably considered congenial but sounded a bit off to me. There was probably a good reason why he was disgruntled but he would never be a good lawyer if he couldn't separate his personal feelings from his job and be more professional. He was also being rude by not introducing himself.

"Hi, I'm Sophie Hall- Wyman," I stated emphasizing my last name hoping that he would connect my last name to Charlie's. My husband's sapphire eyes turned my way with a look that made me want to melt. He loved it when I used his last name when introducing myself. I saw when the connection had been made. His mouth opened a bit. Charlie had a few pictures behind his chair. Some were of us together and a couple with Claire in them. In one she was standing with her late husband, Jack, and in another she was with Lorenzo. I thought I saw his eyes dart to the pictures before turning back to me and Meredith. I'm Jonathan Miller," he said after a moment probably trying to redeem himself.

I acknowledged that I had heard him and introduced Meredith. When I went to introduce Claire she smiled politely at him and offered her hand. He took it and gave it a shake.

"Nice to meet you." He said trying to recover some manners. "But I have to get back. Maybe we'll see each other again." He then addressed Charlie by saying, " if you need anything else just call" and left the way he came.

"Well, I don't see a bright future for him as a lawyer," I said once he departed.

"His manners were deplorable," Claire said in agreement. She glanced at Meredith who was standing quietly next to me. "Of course if he was your Jon then I'm sure he has changed and could improve upon them."

Meredith shook her head. "I don't know who that was but he's not my Jon as you call him."

I was actually glad to hear that since I couldn't see how she could be with anyone who was rude.

"I'm sorry he was the wrong guy again," Charlie told her.

"Maybe it's just not meant to be."

"I don't believe that," I told her fiercely. "He's out there. We just have to keep looking. I am just sorry that we haven't found him yet."

"Don't be. The three of you have done so much for me."

"We're not going to give up until we find him." I was confident that we would indeed find Meredith's Jon.

"Maybe it's a sign that it's too late," Meredith intoned sadly basically repeating what she had just said.

"I don't believe that. We still haven't looked at the possibility that he is a student at a university."

Meredith considered my words for a moment. "But there are multiple universities around."

"There are ways to find out if he goes to one," Charlie chimed in.

"We can look into that this afternoon," I told her.

"So do you still want to go to lunch?" Meredith inquired apparently wanting to change the subject.

"Are you sure you're up to it?" Claire asked.

She nodded. "Plus it wouldn't be right to blow our cover."

I chuckled. We did come here on the pretense of going to lunch with Charlie. "Are you both okay with lunch?" I said looking at my husband and Claire.

"Of course," Claire answered as Charlie said, "Yes".

**E/N **_The next chapter should be up next Monday or Tuesday..._


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N **_Again thanks to Loki's Only Love for looking this over..._

_Disclaimer: I own none of the recognizable names or characters..._

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20.

We headed to a deli style place for lunch not too far from Charlie's office. We refrained from talking about Jon instead talking about random stuff such as our favorite places in London, some of Meredith's favorite items that she's auctioned off and stories about Ron when he was Claire's student. We had a great time just eating and relaxing. After lunch Charlie grabbed a taxi because he had to go back to his office. Claire was meeting a friend across town so she also grabbed a taxi leaving Meredith and I alone in front of the restaurant. We didn't see any more taxis on the street so we decided to walk to the nearest tube station.

"So during lunch Charlie called you 'love '" Meredith stated.

I smiled thinking that her question was really random but I wanted to keep things light and happy as well as Meredith apparently did. "He did. He started calling me that after our first official date." I didn't know if my next question would dampen the mood but I was curious. "Did Jon have any nicknames or terms of endearment for you?"

Her expression surprisingly didn't falter. "He called me Merry and sweetheart." She had a tender smile as she spoke. She must have liked it when he called her by those names. I knew that when Charlie called me 'love' my insides tended to turn to mush so I could relate. "Charlie also calls me Soph but not that often. Mostly now my friends call me that," I added as an afterthought.

"Can I call you that?"

"Of course. We are friends after all."

"You know with that accent of his it makes his endearment sound even better," Meredith stated.

I laughed. "They don't have sayings about guys with accents for nothing."

She laughed too. "I do like an accent but I think my favorite sound was Jon's laugh. He had one of those laughs that comes from deep within you know?"

I did know. Charlie laughed the same way.

She laughed again. "I see from your expression that you do know." A moment later her expression changed. "The case Charlie said that he works on involved a child, didn't it?"

I nodded interested to know why she was asking. "He used the justification of needing information about a minor to get the Jonathan that we just met to his office."

She stopped. "Do you think that my Jon could be involved with it somehow?"

I stopped next to her. "That hadn't crossed my mind but I guess that's possible especially if he's working for the other party in that case."

"That could be…" she stated. "Or maybe he's involved in the case but not as a lawyer."

"What do you mean?"

"Maybe the child is his," she suggested sadly.

Charlie never did say the age of the child. It would've gone against his professional ethics to do so since we had no official part in the case and he could get in trouble for divulging details to unauthorized persons, even his wife. I saw that Meredith's latest words had darkened the previously light atmosphere so I said, "Or maybe he really is an associate at the other firm."

"Maybe…"

As I opened my mouth to ask her why these sudden questions I saw that a Dalmatian was running towards us its leash dragging behind it. The dog came to a stop in front of Meredith. "What a pretty dog," she cooed leaning down and scratching the dogs back.

"Yes," I agreed petting the Dalmatian. "He/she must have a name," I continued. Meredith reached for the dogs' dark collar from which the leash was attached.

"Merida!" A male voice called from a distance.

Meredith froze. Concerned, I inquired, "What's wrong?"

"That voice," she managed to barely whisper. I only caught the words because I was standing near her.

**E/N **_We are coming down to the end of our story...at the moment I am thinking maybe five more chapters...anyways t__he next chapter should be up next Monday or Tuesday..._


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N **_Again thanks to Loki's Only Love for looking this over...This chapter was hard to write since I don't usually write this type of interaction so I hope that you like it..._

_Disclaimer: I own none of the recognizable names or characters..._

* * *

21.

"Merida!" The voice called again. This time it sounded closer. Soon a man in black track shorts and a gray long sleeved t-shirt jogged up to us though his eyes were on the dog. "There you are girl," he said kneeling so he could reach her. As he petted and spoke to Merida I watched him. He had longish brown hair, athletic build, and a slight tan darkening his skin. He had scruff on his chin and cheeks as well. When he finally stood holding the leash tight in his right hand he seemed to notice me and Meredith standing there. His eyes were dark and surrounded by black frames as he looked up. Upon seeing Meredith his pupils widened and his body stiffened.

"Merry?" he stammered blinking his eyes several times.

"Jon," Meredith replied in an astonished tone. He just stood there stunned. Meredith just stood there staring back, neither knowing what to do next.

"Hi, I'm Sophie," I said hoping that by speaking it would get my companions out of the stupor they were presently in. It worked sort of. Jon didn't respond to me. Instead he asked Meredith, "What are you doing here?!" His tone was half incredulous, half angry. The incredulous part I understood. They hadn't seen each other in three years. The angry could have stemmed from her leaving him but I wasn't entirely sure.

His tone must have jarred Meredith out of her stupor because she asked, "What am _I _doing here? What are _you_ doing here?"

"Looking for Merida." His voice was still weak and full of disbelief but the anger dissipated. "I was going to walk her but she got outside before I had the chance to stop her or grab her leash." I was surprised that he answered her. Even more Meredith asked another question. "So you live nearby?"

"Um about seven blocks that way," he answered by rote pointing behind him. He put his hand back down to his side and looked at it. After he finished answering her, he looked down at Merida and his feet probably uncertain as what to do or say next.

"I'm sorry," Meredith said after a few minutes of silence.

He raised his head so fast that I was taken aback. Even Meredith took a step back. "What?!" His expression was one of surprise and maybe a bit of anger again. I think Meredith was equally surprised by his reaction.

She took a few deep breaths probably gathering the courage to apologize again. "I'm sorry," she repeated.

"For what?" His voice was unsure.

"For leaving," she answered.

"Leaving?" he asked stupidly.

She nodded looking at me nervously. I gave her an encouraging smile. At least he hadn't run away or anything yet. Merida must have sensed that her best friend was upset because she sat right next to him and nudged his hand with her head. He absentmindedly scratched her fur. He must have seen how nervous she was for his expression softened and he sighed before wiping his face. "You had every right to leave me."

She looked at him perplexed. "I did?"

"What was it you said to me..." he stroked his stubble, "Ah yes, that you didn't love me anymore. I had no choice but to just let you go after that. I…I…couldn't keep you from finding love."

Meredith gaped at him for several moments before saying, "I lied…"

"Lied?" he asked probably looking for more explanation.

She nodded. I stepped closer sensing that she might need more support. She acknowledged my presence and I could see that she appreciated it. She clenched and unclenched her hand before telling him, "I did and still love you."

"You love me?" He was flabbergasted.

"Yes."

I wasn't sure he meant to but a small smile played on his lips but only for a moment before it fell and he asked, "But if you still love me why did you say you didn't?"

"I was scared. Scared because I can't give you the one thing that would make you happy."

You made me happy," he stated confused.

She had tears in her eyes. "You made me happy too."

Jon furrowed his brow in confusion. "Then why were you scared?"

"Because…."

"You can tell me," he told her softly.

She took a deep breath seemingly steeling herself. Maybe she was thinking about what I had wrote in the letter to her but the courage she showed earlier came back. She took one last breath and told him, "Because I can't have children." She let the words out quickly probably before she lost her nerve.

**E/N **_The next chapter should be up next Monday or Tuesday..._


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N **_Again thanks to Loki's Only Love for looking this over..._

_Disclaimer: I own none of the recognizable names or characters..._

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22.

Jon took a step towards her but stopped short of taking another. He opened his mouth to speak but closed it again. He repeated the same actions again before settling upon saying, "Why didn't you just tell me?"

"You love kids. I know that we never really discussed having any but I could tell that you want them and I thought that you'd be disappointed or resentful because I can never give that to you."

"Didn't it ever occur to you that there are other ways?"

"But they wouldn't be yours." I could hear her voice waver.

"Yes they would. Just because you don't share any DNA doesn't mean that you aren't family."

Meredith's eyes were moist from tears. I don't think she ever thought that he'd be so understanding about this. Her fears clouded her judgment. Merida looked between Jon and Meredith. The Dalmatian nudged him closer to Meredith. I covered a laugh thinking that Merida was smart. Jon patted the dog's head never taking his eyes off Meredith. "Was that the only reason you broke up with me?" He sounded hurt.

"Yes," Meredith answered a mixture of emotions evident in her voice and in her expression.

Jon reached out and tucked a piece of Meredith's hair behind her ears surprising both me and Meredith. By the way Jon tugged his hand back he was equally as surprised.

"Um I should get going," he said stuttered.

"Oh," she said. "Okay."

Jon took a firmer hold on Merida's leash and with one last glance at Meredith he turned, walking back the way he came. Meredith watched him until he had crossed the street then turned to me. "That was...um..."

"Unexpected?" I queried.

She nodded "Definitely."

"Are you ok?" I asked looking her straight in the eye so she could see my concern.

"I'm not sure yet," she answered earnestly. She let her gaze drift in the direction where Jon had gone.

"Do you want to find someplace to sit or something?" I asked because I didn't want her to collapse or anything though she looked like she wasn't. But I wasn't a doctor.

"No, let's just go."

"Okay."

We headed to the tube station and caught the next available train. Meredith was quiet but that was to be suspected after what just happened. I don't think she had processed everything that happened yet. Heck there were still a hundred questions in my head and I wasn't the one that just saw my ex after three years. I was lost in thought that Meredith's voice jarred me. I turned to her and asked her to repeat what she said.

"Did you know that Merida is a place in Mexico?"

I shook my head.

"I found it once on the Internet when Jon and I were researching vacation sites for Spring Break."

"I wonder why he'd name his dog that," I wondered aloud.

She shrugged and lapped back into silence. A few minutes before my stop I asked her if she wanted to come home with me. I thought that maybe she could use the company but she declined my offer.

"Are you sure?" I asked unsure.

"I am."

I looked at her for a moment to gauge if she was all right. She sat taller in a way to make herself seem more assured. I decided against asking her again. Instead I told her, "Call me if you need anything."

When the train stopped I gave her a quick hug and told her that I'd talk to her later. On the way home questions swirled in my mind but the most important one was-_What will happen now?_

**_E/N_** _I am still working on the next chapter and I will get it out as soon as I can..._


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N **_Again thanks to Loki's Only Love for looking this over...I am sorry for the delay but this chapter gave me a bit of writer's block..._

_Disclaimer: I own none of the recognizable names or characters..._

* * *

23.

When I arrived home the house was empty. Since the house was so quiet I decided to get a little work done especially since I've neglected it while helping Meredith. Currently I worked for one of the newspapers answering questions about love under a nom de plume. It was similar to writing letters like I had Claire and Meredith under the guise of Juliet. I also freelanced from time to time. I set my purse down on the closest chair in the den and went to grab my laptop. Settling down on the couch I set about writing hoping that by focusing my attention on work I could maybe give my mind a break from analyzing what happened earlier.

Claire arrived home a couple of hours after me and found me sitting in the same spot just staring at my computer. I hadn't written a word. The events of Meredith's encounter with Jon were at the forefront of my mind preventing me from concentrating on anything else. I kept wondering if there was anything else I could of done to help my friend. I think she could tell that something happened after lunch because she asked, "Is anything wrong?"

I closed the laptop and told her about the encounter with the real Jon.

"I wish that I could've been there for Meredith," she said after I finished.

"I know. But it was so unexpected to see him."

She nodded.

"Was there anything else I could of done?" I asked quietly unsure if I was even heard.

Claire did hear me. "No, we've done what we set out to do. Now it's up to Meredith and Jon."

"Are you sure?"

She sat down next to me and gently squeezed my shoulder. "I'm sure. So now what happens?"

"I'm not sure. He didn't leave his address or anything. Actually he was pretty shocked. I was surprised that he could speak at all!"

"But you know where he lives don't you?"

"Approximately. But there are probably at least a dozen houses on his street and I don't think stalking him would be a good idea," I said making my tone light at the end of the sentence.

Claire smiled. "No, it wouldn't."

Before I could respond we heard the front door open and close. Charlie entered the den a couple minutes later sans jacket. Upon seeing him I immediately got up from where I was sitting and went to greet him pressing my lips to his and enveloping him in an embrace. He wrapped his arms around me in return as his lips brushed against mine but he didn't linger like he normally did. Instead he pulled away with a boyish grin to his face. "I have some news," he informed us.

"So do I…" I told him.

He motioned for me to go first so I told him about the encounter Meredith and I had with her ex-boyfriend.

"So you really met the Jon?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Wow." This response made me smile. There was a time when he thought that words such as "wow" or "amazing" were pedestrian but since we've been together I've noticed that he has started to use them once in a while.

His grin grew bigger at my expression. "You enjoy my usage of the word do you?"

I nodded laughing. "Who'd thought that Mr. Prim and Proper would ever use the word wow?"

"Hey I'm not always prim and proper."

"Says you," I retorted.

His breath was warm on my ear as he huskily whispered, "You want me to take you into the bedroom and show you how prim and proper I am?"

My body shivered and my cheeks heated at his suggestive tone.

"Charlie, what's your news?" Claire asked preventing my body from reacting anymore and my mind from having lascivious thoughts.

It took a minute for Charlie to compose himself. Guess our thoughts were on the same page. ""There was a meeting this afternoon after I got back to the office concerning the case that I was talking about before. When our client came in for the meeting she wasn't alone. She was with a man..."

Before he could say another word I thought I knew where he was going.

"... He introduced himself as Jonathan Miller."

"How is he connected to the case?"

"He's our client's brother."

"Brother!?" Claire exclaimed before I could.

"What did he look like?" I asked hoping that it was the same guy I had met earlier.

"Brown hair, glasses….exactly like the Jonathan you described you met earlier," he answered. "And before you ask because I know you," he added, "this was the first time that I've met him. The other two times I've met her the client had come alone."

"Will you get in trouble for telling us this?" I didn't want him getting into any problems with his boss.

He shook his head no. "I haven't revealed the client's name or details about the case except that there's a child involved so I think that it'll be fine."

"So now what?" Claire inquired.

"Well, I have his address and I gave it to Meredith."

**_E/N_** _I am still working on the next chapter and I will get it out as soon as I can..._


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N **_Again thanks to Loki's Only Love for looking this over...I am sorry for the delay. I'm hoping the next one doesn't take as long to finish..._

_Disclaimer: I own none of the recognizable names or characters..._

* * *

24.

After Charlie had told us that he gave Jon's address to Meredith, I jumped and stared at him in surprise and disbelief. It was something that I wouldn't have guessed that he would do. I looked over at Claire but she was just smiling. Charlie, though, didn't seem overly shocked by our reactions.

"How'd you get her number?" I asked.

"Gran gave it to me. I called you first but you didn't answer."

"Oh, sorry. I was completely in a daze after getting home. Seeing Meredith's ex was something I couldn't have imagined happening. Well, not like that," I admitted. Now I knew why Claire wasn't surprised by Charlie's declaration. She had known about it.

He took my hand in his and steered me to the couch. I sat down and he sat next to me. "And how did you imagine it?"

I had to think about an answer. He just watched me. I'm sure Claire was watching me too but I paid her little attention. "Um, he'd ride up on a white horse and whisk her away?"

Both he and Claire chuckled. "That's what Lorenzo did with Gran."

"He'd fall off a vine after declaring his love for her while she stood on a balcony?"

He smiled softly. "That was us, love."

I returned his smile. "Our declarations were quite memorable."

"Yes they were," Charlie replied with a faraway look. I knew that he was thinking about that day.

"How did you imagine Meredith and Jon's meeting?" Claire inquired curiously.

"I guess I just hoped that he'd accept her apology and take her in his arms telling her that he was an idiot for allowing her to leave and not going after her before declaring that now that he had her he wasn't ever going to let her go again."

Charlie pulled me to him and gave me a soft, lingering kiss. "You're such a romantic."

"And you love me," I teased.

"I do," he answered kissing me again.

A week later...

"I'm going to see him." I didn't need to ask who Meredith was talking about when she spoke yet I found it somewhat amusing that those were the first words from her mouth when I had answered my cell phone. "Hello to you too," I told her.

Even though I couldn't see her, I knew that she was probably flushing in embarrassment. "Oh I'm sorry Sophie. Hi."

"So you're really going to see Jon?"

The only response I heard was a swishing sound on the other end of the line like she was nodding. A small snort at her second faux pas of this conversation. She seemed to realize that I couldn't in fact see her and answered in the affirmative.

"What day are you going? Claire and I can be there whenever you need us."

"That's sweet of you but this is something that I need to do myself."

"Are you sure?" There was a hint of doubt in her voice so I needed to make sure that she was all right with her decision. I would be there in a heartbeat if she wanted me there. I knew Claire would be as well.

Having more confidence in her voice she answered, "Yes."

"Well, call me or Claire if you change your mind or if you need anything."

"I will, thanks."

With that answer Meredith had ended the call. I had called her to see how she was doing and if she had wanted to meet for lunch or something. We had spoken a few times since I left her on the train but she hadn't really acknowledged that Charlie had given her Jon's address. She had spoken to Claire as well but to my knowledge they spoke of different topics but stayed away from the topic of Jon. Today was the first day that she had said anything about it or seeing Jon again. Their first encounter near the restaurant had been shocking and had brought out a ray of emotions which wasn't surprising given the timing and their history. I knew that she did want to see Jon again. She loved him. But she needed time to recover from seeing him again after years and think about her next actions. She was still scared but I think his reaction to her telling him her big secret went a long way to making her more confident. And he needed to see past the hurt she had caused and decide to give her a second chance. Within time I knew that these two would work things out. After all taking chances can lead to wonderful rewards...I should know and we both have Juliet to thank…


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N **_Again thanks to Loki's Only Love for looking this over...I am sorry for the delay. It seems like forever since I last posted. There is one more chapter left and I hope to have it done soon. Thanks for sticking with me! _

_Disclaimer: I own none of the recognizable names or characters..._

* * *

25.

Epilogue Part 1

_One year later…_

"We're getting married!"

Meredith's exclamation made me almost drop my laptop. I hadn't realized that she was here. I carefully placed my computer on the table in front of me and went straight to the foyer where I thought her voice was coming from. Once there I saw Claire hugging Meredith and Jon. When Meredith saw me she pulled away from Claire and practically floated over to me. "Jon asked me to marry him," she said happily hugging me.

"I'm so happy for you," I told her returning the hug.

When Meredith bravely went to Jon's house that day months ago they had ended up talking for hours and she had asked him for a second chance. They soon started dating again, taking it slow. Both still had wounded hearts that needed time to heal. Knowing how much they cared for each other, I knew that I'd be hearing these words.

Once everyone was settled in the den with refreshments Claire looked around with a twinkle in her eye. "You know Meredith and Jon's journey would make for a wonderful story."

Honestly, I never thought about writing their story like I had Claire and Lorenzo's but obviously Claire had. The more I thought about it the more it seemed like a good idea.

"I would be honored if you would write our story," Meredith stated sincerely.

Jon knew that I was a writer. We had officially met after they had started dating again. His silence was irking. "Are you okay with this? I'll only do it if I have your permission."

He looked at Meredith who nodded. "I'm okay with it."

"So that's that I suppose," Claire stated happy with this turn.

"Will it be difficult to remember everything?" Meredith asked. "It has been a year."

"No," I answered truthfully. "Though I do have some questions."

"Okay," Jon answered hesitantly before Meredith could.

"How did you pick the name Merida for your dog?"

He looked baffled while Claire laughed. Meredith smiled. I don't recall if she ever told me so I thought why not ask now.

"Um…well one time we were looking at places to go on Spring Break and Merry was researching Mexico. She came upon a town named Merida…"

"I told him that the town sounded more like a female name than a town," Meredith added.

"And that stuck with me. And when it came time to name my new Dalmatian, Merida popped into my mind and seemed perfect."

"I asked because it's not a name I've heard before," I admitted shrugging my shoulders. "And I was curious."

"You're curious by nature," Meredith said jovially.

She was right.

"Okay what's your next question?" Jon asked. He didn't appear as uncertain since I asked the first question.

"How'd you propose?"

Meredith smiled. "Well, the first time was more cliché with the dinner and kneeling on one knee. This time we were getting ready to watch a DVD at my place when all of a sudden he says 'Marry me.'"

Jon was smiling at her adoringly. "Suffice it to say she was not expecting that. Heck I wasn't planning on proposing right then and there either."

"But she said yes," Claire stated.

"I said yes," Meredith said kissing Jon's cheek. He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss on the lips.

Before I could ask another question Charlie walked in. "Man I'm knackered." Realizing that we had guests his cheeks turned a bit red.

I went up and kissed him on the lips but pulled away before it became too heated. "Go sit, I'll get you something to drink." I heard Meredith and Jon both greet him as I walked into the kitchen. I'm sure Claire did as well. Lately he has been tired. After handling Jon's sister's case, which was a custody case and ended six months ago, he started another case which was similar. And he had more cases than just the one that he was working on. I grabbed a glass and filled it with soda hoping that the caffeine would prevent him from falling asleep while we had guests. They would understand if he did but I don't think that Charlie would like to fall asleep in the middle of a conversation. My husband was sitting where I had been when I returned. Jon was saying that his sister had taken his nephew shopping for Halloween.

Charlie thanked me as I handed him the glass before sitting in the empty seat next to him. "But isn't Halloween weeks away?" I asked him once I was settled.

"Yes, but she likes to get an early start on things."

"So do you have any more questions?" Meredith asked addressing me.

"Any wedding plans yet?" Claire asked.

"Nothing concrete yet but we both want a small wedding," Meredith answered.

"Just us, a few close friends and family," Jon added.

Meredith turned to me. "Soph, I don't think that Jon and I would be where we are today if it weren't for you. Would you be my maid of honor?"

"I'd be honored."

She next turned to Claire. "Would you be my matron of honor?" She smiled. "Of course, I'd be honored."

Jon was next to speak. He asked Charlie to be a groomsman. They had become friends in the last year with my husband helping Jon's sister to us being friends with Meredith and hanging out together.

Claire and I asked a few more questions about wedding ideas but soon Jon and Meredith had to leave. One month later their story was published in the New Yorker and three months later I stood beside her as they exchanged heartfelt vows.


	26. Chapter 26

_Disclaimer: I own none of the recognizable names or characters..._

* * *

Chapter 26

Epilogue part 2

"Is this where the Juliet Secretaries work?" a male voice inquired.

I looked up and found a man and a woman standing in the doorway. They were casually dressed. The man wore jeans and a t-shirt, the woman khaki shorts and a halter top sporting Yoda on it. His dark skin and hair was the opposite of her light skin and red hair. Isabella, who was also sitting at the desk reading a letter when they walked in, looked up as well.

"Yes," she answered. "My name is Isabella can I help you?"

"We are looking for the person who answered my letter," the woman told her while glancing between the both of us. Isabella took the letter she was holding and scanned it. "This doesn't seem familiar but maybe Sophie here wrote it." She handed me the letter and I started reading…

_Dear Kim,_

_It's natural to not want to feel rejection from anyone, especially one we have a crush on. My advice would be to just talk to him. You never know. He might be shy or unsure about talking to you or asking you out as well. I only know what you've told me but his lack of interest in other women is probably a positive indicator. Who knows if you watch him when he's not looking maybe he does the same? So just talk to him. It might lead to a happy ending._

_Sincerely, Juliet_

I saw that they were all watching me. "I wrote this letter."

Kim and her companion both smiled at this. "I'm so happy to hear that. I'm Kim Stewart and this is my husband Cole Stewart. Cole kissed her cheek when she finished speaking.

"Congratulations!" both Isabella and I told the couple.

"Thanks," Kim answered looking sweetly at Cole before returning her gaze to me.

"I'm Sophie," I told them.

"It's so nice to meet you! I didn't know if we'd get to! Cole thought that there was a good chance."

He leaned in and kissed her. "I'm glad that I was right."

"How long have you been married?" Isabella inquired.

"Two months," Kim answered. "But we haven't had the chance to go on our honeymoon until now."

"And she wanted to come to Italy," Cole interjected.

"Well, Italy is beautiful and I always wanted to come here. I also wanted to meet the woman who gave me the push I needed to talk to one man who's made me the happiest woman in the world."

"All I did was answer your letter," I intoned.

"I appreciated your bluntness."

Isabella's mother, Angelina, came in before anyone could speak another word. She was cooking something that smelled delicious in the kitchen. "Everyone sit. I'll bring out something to eat. I made shrimp and linguine."

"I'm allergic to shrimp," Kim told her regrettably.

"Don't worry. I'll just fix you up some linguine without the shrimp."

"Oh you don't have to go through that trouble."

"No trouble," Angelina said bustling back in the kitchen before Kim could say anything else.

Since Isabella was acting as hostess, I let her direct Kim and Cole to some chairs as I cleaned their spot from the detritus on the table. After they sat Isabella and I followed suit. Several minutes later, Angelina came in with plates of food and placed them in front of us. She left but soon returned with glasses and a bottle of wine. "White okay with everyone?" We all nodded and she filled our glasses. "Join us," Cole told her. I could tell that she wanted to say no but after some prodding by Kim she acquiesced.

"So how'd you two meet?" Isabella inquired. She had not read Kim's letter so she knew nothing about them. Neither did Angelina.

"We met at the restaurant where we work," Kim answered. "I'm the hostess and he's the bartender."

"Where's the restaurant?" I asked curious.

"Not far from Duke University in North Carolina," she stated.

"Ah so you're American like our dear Sophie." This from Angelina.

"Where are you from?" Cole inquired.

"New York City."

We started eating talking a little about the states and how different Italy was. We quickly moved onto when Kim first approached Cole.

"I was so nervous. I probably seemed like a bumbling idiot."

"You were adorable," Cole interjected kissing her temple.

She rolled her eyes playfully. "I wasn't. Not really. We were the last to leave one night like two weeks after I had received your letter and from somewhere deep inside I heard a voice say 'go for it ' so I did. "

"When I saw her coming over she seemed like she was talking to herself. I didn't know what to think but when she stopped in front of me and said my name her voice was a mere whisper. I don't know how she managed to get the words out but she told me about a Star Wars movie marathon at a local theater and asked if I wanted to attend with her."

"I honestly thought that you'd say no," Kim admitted. "But I'm glad that you didn't." She kissed him.

He looked at her adoring. "I wouldn't have said no."

I smiled at them though I was caught a little off guard at her having asked him out. I would've thought that by her letter that Cole would've been the one asking and I told them.

"I was thinking about wanting to see him outside of work and the words just slipped out," Kim admitted shrugging.

Cole placed his arm around her shoulder holding her close. "If she didn't I would have asked her out."

The way she was looking at him was enough to make anyone blush so I decided to change the subject. "Is Yoda your favorite character?"

"Yes, how do you know?" she asked looking at me.

"You're wearing a Yoda shirt sweetheart," Cole told her in a tender voice.

Her cheeks turned crimson. "Oh, yeah right."

He let out a light chuckle. "Yes, he is her favorite. She's seen Star Wars what must have been a million times."

"I happen to love Star Wars thank you very much."

Cole nuzzled her hair. "I know."

"So where were you married?" I asked.

"We had a backyard wedding," Kim answered recovering from any embarrassment she felt.

Isabella started asking questions and I couldn't help but wonder what would've happened if she hadn't written the letter. Would they have gotten together without it? But then I realized that they were here and happy. All thanks to a letter signed Sincerely, Juliet…

**A/N **_I am so sad that this story is complete. I may do an outtake in the future but otherwise this is it. I want to thank all my readers for reading and Loki's Only Love for looking this whole thing over for me. I also want to thank Winterluna for reviewing and pointing out some things that I previously missed. _


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